Tag: budget running

It was one of our more philosophical discussions: if a crotch sweats on some pricey running shorts but you weren’t there to see it, and then you buy those same shorts for a very low price on eBay, did the crotch sweat ever really happen? What if you wash the sweated-on shorts twice before you wear them? Three times?

In other words, would you buy used running shorts? How low does the price of used name-brand or “designer” running shorts have to be to make you even consider putting them on? Read more >>

When I started running, I was a single mom living on my teacher’s salary during the Great Recession. Let’s just say there were many grocery store trips where I decided my favorite feta cheese was too expensive. My running gear investments included a pair of shoes and a sports bra. One of the greatest things about running is that you don’t need a bunch of super-expensive gear or instructor-led classes to get your run done. When I started, it was a relatively cheap hobby and even now when I’m up to seventy mile weeks it still costs me less than a monthly gym-fee to maintain.

However, at this level running this cheaply is not easy. Eight years into this hobby/lifestyle/addiction the costs can quickly add up. Between run-cations, race entries, high-tech gear, fancy outfits, medical costs, and shoes, shoes and more shoes, running can get really expensive really quickly.

Additionally, like everything in our consumer culture, there is an endless amount of running gear cleverly marketed to convince us that we need that shiny new product to run better. Although I don’t need to worry about splurging on the feta anymore, I am a cheapskate who is turned off by the running catalogs that tell me life just isn’t worth living without a $90 sheer color-block tank. Whether you’re a cheapskate, on a tight budget, or simply looking for a way to spend less on running, here are my tried and true tips for running on the cheap.

There’s something exciting about finding a running catalogue in the mailbox. These days, my catalogues are the closest I get to reading Cosmo. I gave up all my magazine subscriptions at 20. I had to after I realized they made me feel pale, flabby, non-orgasmic, and boring. Good choice, 20-year-old Pimento! Break up with that dropout boyfriend while you’re at it and stop with the tanning beds! Ahh, hindsight…

As a full-fledged 36-year-old educated woman, mom, runner, and feminist (rawr), however, I feel like I might need to break up with the running catalogues, too. But in this case, it’s not the flabby feeling they evoke that’s got me down.Read more >>

The convenience of a GPS watch is great! It’s the expense that’s kind of a drag… img via peterm7 on flickr

We all love a good product review, which is why this week I decided to share with you that our own Ginger, of “run-by-feel” fame, has begun shopping for a GPS watch. She asked the Salty bloggers to help, and since those handy little devices are one of the most expensive pieces of gear available to runners, I thought it would be a great question for you!

“I don’t want to spend too much,” says Ginger. “I really just want a GPS for tracking pace and distance.” Like so many runners she doesn’t need any bells and whistles, she’s just looking for the basics. The most important feature is that the watch fit into her budget. Of course Garmin is the forerunner (so to speak) in the US, but we’re also interested to learn about other brands.

Are you familiar with a good GPS watch available for under $150? (That’s $191 Canadian) If not, how much did yours cost, and do you think you would spend that much again?

Are you looking for that perfect gift for your running friends, or maybe picking out a little post-race indulgence for yourself? We’ve compiled some of the best running-related Black Friday deals out there. We’ve also included a few local deals too. Don’t forget to patronize your local running stores for their own Black Friday or Small Business Saturday deals! So grab another piece of pie and get ready to go plan your bargain-hunting route!

Let us know in the comments about any great deals we’ve missed, or those “too good to be true” finds that you snatched up!

Normally one of the more prosaic and emotional Salties, I’m taking a break this week to write a bit more analytically. But worry not, as I’m sticking to a topic close to the heart: money. Though marathoners and triathletes tend to be generalized as “upper middle class,” and though demographic studies have shown that “we” tend to have more discretionary income than the average American, the response to our posts on both rising race fees and running on a shoestring (nice pun, right?) confirm that we Salties are not rolling in dough – and that we’re very discriminating about how we spend it.

But rich or poor, tightwad or spendthrift, clothes-horse or minimalist, there is one area of this whole racing thing – particularly the marathon – that I have seen reduce men and women alike to careless millionaires. I’ve watched them throw caution to the wind, pick money from trees, melt plastic like it’s butter. And oh, how I remember the first time I did it. The glee. The gluttony. The sheer adrenaline rush. That’s right, Salties – the scariest part of racing for your wallet isn’t the entry fees, the airfares and the hotels, even the five new pairs of shoes every year. Oh no – it’s the marathon EXPO. Read more >>

You might need some smelling salts if you added up the cost of all these bibs and medals. Image via luxomedia.

We’ve all heard that saying about running being cheap; all you need is a pair of shoes. Well, if you’re just running around your neighborhood that might be true, but if you’re running races, the costs can add up quickly! Think about it: the race fee itself, gas or airfare and a rental car, new shoes, a hotel and don’t get us started on managing an injury … it’s all about the Benjamins. Runner’s World‘s Mark Remy even quotes his colleague Bart Yasso as saying that “the average marathon medal costs about a thousand bucks“. I’m here to help you navigate the world of marathons and half marathons while softening the blow to your bank account. Read more >>

I shouldn’t even have brought it up–I hate talking about it because I hate thinking about it. But oh, my poor knee! It twinges on the outside, a slight but sharp tug that tells me something is still wrong after five months. Every time it happens I want to cry a little bit from the stress of not knowing what it is, of worrying that it will give out, that I’ll strain it too much, that I could maybe never run again.

You might think I should see a doctor. Well, I’d like to. But I don’t have health insurance.